The present invention relates to an audio-video system control method for use in controlling an audio-video system composed of a plurality of audio-video equipments.
In an audio-video (referred to hereinafter as "AV" for simplicity) system, a VTR (video tape recorder), an MDP (multi-disc player), a television (TV) receiver, a speaker, etc., are connected to form a system. When a video disc is played back by the MDP, for example, and a reproduced signal from the video disc is supplied to the VTR so that the reproduced signal is recorded on a magnetic tape or the reproduced signal is output to and displayed by the television receiver, if an MDP playback command is issued, then the VTR and the television receiver are automatically energized to implement predetermined operations. Therefore, the user need not control respective AV equipments separately and the AV equipments become easier to handle.
When the respective AV equipments in the AV system are controlled, it is customary that a predetermined AV equipment (e.g., television receiver) is used as an AV center to manage the connected states of the respective AV equipments constructing the AV system and the AV equipments are controlled by the AV center.
The AV center uses a memory to memorize in advance data representing the AV equipments forming the AV system and the connected states of the AV equipments in order to manage the respective AV equipments and controls the AV equipments in accordance with the memorized data.
However, inasmuch as the AV system memorizes in advance the standard pattern of the AV system and connects the AV equipments in accordance with the standard pattern in actual practice, if the AV system are connected with a pattern different from the standard pattern, there is then the problem that the respective AV equipments cannot be controlled functionally.
To solve this problem, it is proposed that the AV system memorizes in advance standard patterns as many as possible. This proposal causes another problem because the storage capacity of the memory for memorizing standard patterns is increased as the number of the standard patterns is increased. As a result, the AV system becomes expensive.